Got my first taste of New Mexico golf this past week and it did not disappoint. First stop was a twilight round at Sandia Golf Course which is not too far at all from the downtown area of Albuquerque,... Continue »

Got my first taste of New Mexico golf this past week and it did not disappoint. First stop was a twilight round at Sandia Golf Course which is not too far at all from the downtown area of Albuquerque, but it feels like a whole different world when you're on the course. We played from the Club tees with two very nice and informative locals who gave us the skinny on some of the less apparent holes. A $60 twilight rate here is a steal. The course is most certainly a resort course, but it does have some teeth with long carries over waste areas, a few prominent water features and a number of elevations that you would not necessarily expect. There are also a few quirky holes that can leave one scratching their head, like the par 5 11th hole - just not enough reward for the risk off the tee. The backdrop in front of the Sandia mountain range is really picturesque. It was still pretty hot when we set off around 3pm, but when it cooled down a bit later it was glorious. Conditions at Sandia pretty top notch all around for sure. It's in very good shape from tee to green and there's really not much to complain about at all. The tee boxes are in great shape, but I think there's a pretty big jump in distance between the Club tees and the Championship ones (not even taking into account the tips). Fairways are beautiful green carpet and the rough is actually pretty thick and can make things interesting. But it's lush as can be. Traps were described by one of our local playing partners as the best in New Mexico. I would not disagree, but then again it was my first course here. Greens were in very nice shape but not particularly fast at that hour of the day. They held lines just fine and shots as well. The green complexes aren't too tricked out overall, but there are definitely a few of the greens that will make you work very hard to get the right line. But overall a really nice set of surfaces to play from at Sandia. Nice clubhouse and restaurant but a little disappointed that the snack shop at the turn was not open on a busy Friday afternoon. Unfortunately going back to the clubhouse is a bit out of the way so the snack shop is a must, but apparently not this Friday. We did have some cart service early though so that helped. All in all it was a very nice experience at Sandia and a highly recommended day of golf at this time. There are a lot of options in the immediate ABQ area, but I would be surprised if the rest can deliver as good an experience as Sandia.